What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedCity on Fire
Don Winslow · Book
If you loved City on Fire, start with MobLand (Ronan Bennett, 2025) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 3 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to City on Fire across media.
If you loved City on Fire, you were likely drawn to the visceral, high-stakes collision of family loyalty and inevitable, soul-crushing betrayal.
Films on the same thread
Man on Fire
Tony Scott · Film · 2004
Explores: Redemption, Protecting the Innocent, Moral Corruption.
Like City on Fire, this story centers on the brutal, personal cost of violence and the way a singular, protective bond can force a man into a moral war.
Crime 101
Bart Layton · Film · 2026
Explores: High-stakes, Redemption, Obsession.
This heist thriller captures the same tense cat-and-mouse energy found in City on Fire, focusing on the intersection of personal obsession and the high-stakes world of urban crime.
City of God
Fernando Meirelles · Film · 2002
Explores: Poverty and Violence, Cycle of Crime, Lost Innocence.
This film mirrors the generational conflict in City on Fire, showcasing how the cycle of violence and poverty shapes the lives of those trapped in a criminal landscape.
Donnie Brasco
Mike Newell · Film · 1997
Explores: Loyalty, Betrayal, Identity Crisis.
If you were captivated by the blurred lines of allegiance in City on Fire, you will appreciate this deep dive into the identity crisis of living among mobsters.
Series on the same thread
MobLand
Ronan Bennett · Series · 2025
Explores: Family Loyalty, Power Struggles, Betrayal.
Fans of the family-driven warfare in City on Fire will find this series familiar, as it explores the destructive power struggles that occur when rival crime empires clash.
Man on Fire
Kyle Killen · Series · 2026
Explores: redemption, guilt, protective bond.
This show echoes the gritty, survival-based stakes of City on Fire, focusing on a protector navigating a dangerous underworld while haunted by the weight of their own past.
ZeroZeroZero
Leonardo Fasoli · Series · 2020
Explores: Drug Trafficking, Global Conspiracy, Power Dynamics.
Much like the expansive scope of City on Fire, this series masterfully maps the global, systemic betrayals and power dynamics that define the modern, organized criminal underworld.
Podcasts on the same thread
Kinahans Downfall
Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with City on Fire: Criminal Underworld.
This podcast explores the same brutal realities of gangland warfare found in City on Fire, grounding its narrative in the cold, hard facts of cartel power and violence.
Gangster
Podcast
Explores: prison smuggling, blackmail, manipulation.
This investigation uncovers the same themes of corruption and dangerous manipulation that drive the characters in City on Fire, proving that personal secrets can dismantle criminal empires.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is City on Fire a story about organized crime?
Yes, City on Fire focuses on the conflict between two rival crime families. The plot centers on these two groups as they fight for control over the entirety of New England, leading to a war between the factions.
What is the central conflict in City on Fire?
The central conflict in City on Fire is a violent war between two rival crime families. These two organizations have previously controlled all of New England, but their competing interests lead to a direct and destructive confrontation between them.
Does City on Fire take place in a specific region?
City on Fire is set in New England. The narrative follows the struggle for power between two rival crime families who have historically controlled the region before descending into a war against one another.
How many crime families are involved in the war in City on Fire?
City on Fire features two rival crime families. The story tracks how these two specific groups, which previously held control over all of New England, engage in a war that defines the plot of the book.